1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device used in hunting, and more particularly to a game caller that is mountable on the clothing of the hunter.
2. Background Art
Devices to attract wild game animals such as, but not limited to deer, moose, turkey, and elk to a site where a hunter awaits are well known. One class of these devices produces sounds, such as antlers rubbing together, or the call of another game animal, to which other game animals respond. Some of these devices are held on a cord around the user""s neck but are hand held while in use. Other sound producing devices are known which operate when stepped upon by the hunter.
A problem with these devices is that the hunter must initiate some movement to operate them. Such movement is impractical or impossible when the hunter is maintaining an archery bow in a fully drawn position or when the hunter is training his gun sights on a target. Also, such movement often alerts the prey to the hunter""s presence and provokes the animal to flee. Even when using devices such as those which can be continually held in the mouth and thus do not require any obvious movement to operate, it is impractical for the hunter to hold one of these devices in his or her mouth for an extended period of time.
Illustrative of the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,981 issued on May 12, 1992; and commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,590 which issued on Jul. 11, 1995.
An object of the present invention is to provide a hands-free body-mounted game caller system that can be used by the hunter who may use a weapon, such as, but not limited to, a gun, a crossbow, or a bow.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus of the type described above with which a hunter can produce a game animal call, without obvious movement, while holding a weapon in a drawn or cocked position.
Another object of the invention is to provide a game-attracting call assembly that provides for the hunter an opportunity to generate one from a choice of realistic tones, each of which may be chosen to attract, for example, fawn, doe, buck, and a dominant buck.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a game caller that emanates soft tones, thereby eliminating the need to muffle a call against the body in order to lower the volume of the call.
Another still further object of the invention is to provide a body-mounted game caller that includes an extendable member that can be moved between a contracted and extended configuration, thereby permitting the hunter to generate a call suitable for long distance xe2x80x9crutxe2x80x9d calling and mid-to-short range xe2x80x9csocialxe2x80x9d calling.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a body-mounted game caller that is activated upon inhalation so that the device will not freeze in cold weather.
Additionally, it is an object of the invention to provide a body-mounted game caller wherein the reed will not stick in hot weather.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an automatic shut-off which prevents advertent generation of a call or a undesirable note in the event that the user becomes overly stimulated.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a rapid and facile mounting system whereby the body-mounted game caller can be readily, yet securely, attached to the user.
To meet these objects, the present invention discloses an apparatus for calling game animals when a user is hunting with an archery bow or a gun. The apparatus comprises a mouthpiece for insertion into the user""s mouth to enable the user to apply a vacuum thereto. A connector assembly has a base that is mountable below the neck of the user on the clothing thereof. A sheath is pivotably connected to the base, with an outlet port that communicates with the mouthpiece and inlet port. A flexible conduit having a downstream end is detachably attached to the inlet port of the sheath. A game-attracting call assembly is connected to the upstream end of the flexible conduit. The assembly is operable when the user ingests air through the mouthpiece, the connector assembly, and the conduit.
The call assembly comprises a main body and an air-actuated sound-producing member. The call assembly is attached to the user""s clothing. The body-mounted game caller allows the user to initiate a game-attracting call without discernable movement of his or her upper body.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.